The present invention broadly relates to the intermediate storage of printed products or the like and, more specifically, pertains to a new and improved method and apparatus for the intermediate storage of printed products arriving in an imbricated product formation or stream, such as newspapers, periodicals and the like.
Generally speaking, the method of the present invention for the intermediate storage of printed products arriving in an imbricated product formation, such as newspapers, periodicals and the like, comprises the steps of conveying the printed products to a winding mandril, preferably from below, and winding the printed products conjointly with a winding band maintained under tension and operatively connected with the winding mandril upon such winding mandril.
The apparatus of the present invention for the intermediate storage of printed products arriving in an imbricated product formation or stream comprises a rotatably journaled and rotatably driveable winding mandril for winding up the printed products, a conveyor device for delivering the printed products, preferably from below, to the winding mandril, and a winding band or strap capable of being placed under tension and operatively connected with the winding mandril for being entrained between coil layers of a coil or wound package of printed products being wound up.
It is known, for instance from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,618, granted Mar. 27, 1984, and the corresponding British Patent Publication No. 2,081,230, to wind up printed products arriving in an imbricated product formation upon a winding mandril or core. Since the circumferential speed of the winding mandril or core, respectively of the coil or wound product package forming thereupon, must correspond to the delivery speed of the imbricated product formation, the circumferential speed of the coil or wound product package being formed assumes relatively high values at high delivery rates of the printed products and the ensuing high delivery speeds thereof. The high circumferential speed of the coil or wound product package being formed leads to correspondingly high centrifugal forces.
Since the imbricated product formation is delivered to the winding mandril conjointly with a winding band or strap in so-to-speak "underfeed", that is with the leading edges of the printed products closer to the axis of rotation of the winding mandril than the trailing edges, the printed products are deposited with their leading edges adjacent to or in contact with the coil or wound package. This measure assures that each inner layer of the coil or package can be further rotated in the winding direction of the coil or package in relation to the next outer layer. It is therefore possible to further rotate or wind up the coil or package from the interior in the manner of a clock spring and to thereby compact the product coil or wound package.